The 02R Mixing Console by Matt Walters from Quince Studios 

Introduction to the 02R 

Having used the Yamaha o2R version 2 for many years at my current studio Quince Studios and many other top studios across London I feel more than qualified to enlighten other producers and engineers of what a great mixing desk I think this is.  Although the 02R is a little old now and has been superseded by the 02R 96 which is also a very good desk, the original 02R is still widely regarded as an industry standard within media companies and recording studios round the globe including companies like the Capital group encompassing Capital radio, capital Gold, XFM and many broadcast and post production companies in the UK. The 40 channel desk/8-bus digital console comes equipped with 4 band fully parametric EQ and on-board automation, dynamics on every channel and 2 FX processors. 

 Connections to the 02R

The first eight channels of the mixer have XLR inputs and a 48v option, as well as Jack inputs and inserts if you want to have any external dynamics on the first 8 channels, the next eight channels just have jack inputs with the final four faders being stereo channels with only jack inputs again. There is an extra option to purchase 8 channel digital and analogue cards for the back of the console for extra inputs with the view of using the 02R with a soundcard, adat or tape machine. The maximum number of slots that can be used at any one time is 4 8 channel cards.   The desk has 8 aux sends in total which can be selected pre/post-fader. Aux sends 7 and 8 connect to an internal digital reverb similar to the Yamaha SPX 900 or 90. The console’s built-in Effects Section provided on Aux #7 and #8 is extremely comprehensive, with individual control of HF pre-delay, density, low/high pass, decay, diffusion, reverb delay and reverb balance.
Another useful function found with most good desks is 2 track returns which the 02r has in abundance. It possesses in total three digital and 2 analogue 2 track returns which you can plug CD players, DAT machines or any other suitable media player into. Also two of the digital inputs can be routed to channels 17/18 and 19/20 on the mixer. 

Sample Rates and layout of the 02R

The 02R uses 32-bit DSP technology and RISC CPUs to give superior processing to what you are working on. The 02R operates at either 44.1 or 48 kHz 20 bit and the 02R 96 obviously can operate at 96 kHz 24 bit. The desk has 40 inputs with the first 16 being mono and the following 8 being stereo channels, if you use the flip button there are a further 16 digital/analogue channels (depending on what cards you opt for with your 02R) which can be used in conjunction with a adat, soundcard or tape machine. When you flip the controls you can operate the first 24 channels via a selection of pots above the faders. There is also a Master fader. The console has graphic LCD screen where all controls for the 02R’s are made including anything to do with dynamics, pre and post EQ settings, the Auxiliaries, panning, routing and any in depth setup settings that need to be made. 

 Dynamics & EQ

All the 40 channels have dynamics; these consist of gating, compression, expansion, commanders, auto modulation and limiting. The controls are done via the LCD screen and standard threshold, ratio, output gain, knee, attack and release controls are available. Channels can also link and paired as a handy option. Always bear in mind that this is a digital desk you are working with and that for a warmer sound you might want a Valve Compressor in certain situation. I have a few valve Pre-Amps for this reason.Every channel of the desk has four-band parametric EQ which I have found to be quite powerful. Although for subtractive EQ it is not always great and I would for detailed work recommend an external EQ. For adding certain frequencies I find it much more precise and a joy to work with. Similar to the dynamics always bear in mind this is a digital desk you are working with and that for a warmer sound you might want a Valve EQ like I possess. The two effects returns offer EQ only. All dynamics and EQs can be saved to a library to be recalled at a click of a button a function that sold the desk to me in the first place. All four bands of EQ are the same, and start from 21 Hz thru 20.1 kHz, the cut/boost is +/-18 dB, with Q/bandwidth adjustable from 0.1 to 10. The upper and lower bands can also be set up as shelves. The stereo output channel has full dynamics and EQ facilities to. 

How the 02R sounds and the overall verdict

The mixer operates at 20-bit, 64-times oversampled A-to-D converters. In my opinion the mixer sounds fantastic, with great pre-amps and very good noise to signal ratio. The parametric EQ is also very smooth sounding, very quiet and not to clinical for a digital desk. The graphics on the LCD screen is also a nice touch letting you see visually what changes you are doing to a source sound. Overall I feel the EQ is very usable but would think about an external valve/tube EQ for instances that may need a warmer sound.  The dynamics are also very user friendly and you can visibly see what changes you are doing to a source via the gain-reduction meter. The 02R’s automation is quite in depth and offers you the ability to control any fader, Esq.’s, panning, the on board effects and all auxiliaries plus many other features. It is easy to master and something that I used a lot when I had a sync box although now I do find it more time efficient and more accurate to automate using my sequencer. Possibly the best function of this desk is the Instant Recall of mixes, Eqs, dynamics and automation which can save so much time and something I am a big advocate of. Overall I feel the machine is fast and easy to use and great value for money as although it was around £6000 when I first purchased it they can now be bought for around a lot less which considering the features you get for the price is a great deal. Alternatively the 02R 96 V2 can now be bough for around £8000 which has all the features of this desk but operates at 24 bit 96 khz.